El Campo grows with $24 million in projects
By SHANNON CRABTREE news@journal-spectator.com

El Campo continues to grow both in residential and retail areas with more than $24.5 million in construction starts last year, according to data compiled by the city Inspections Department.

That's in comparison to about $5.5 million in new construction starts last year.

And while the 2007 total includes $19.4 million for the soon-to-be-opened El Campo Middle School campus on FM 2765, it still shows a healthy $5.1 million in retail, industrial and housing starts.

Four new retail starts have added more than $1.7 million in value to the city last fiscal year while there was about $343,000 in new industry.

Those retail starts revolved around the booming West Loop and North Mechanic intersection.

With the development of two new shopping centers at those corners, the city has already added a sporting goods store, a women's clothing shop, a dollar store another other retail space.

A shoe store and bank are due to open at another strip center, on the northeast corner of the intersection.

The city reports 28 new home starts, worth more than $3 million, during the last fiscal year - that's up from 13 starts the prior year.

In the past five years, 87 new free-standing homes have been built within the corporate limits of El Campo.

Since December, the city has added more than 60 homes to its tax base as the result of annexations.

The last major housing boom in the city limits took place in the early to mid-1980s.

From FY 80-81 to FY 84-85, a total of 165 new homes were built.

During the 1970s, 345 new homes were constructed in the city limits.

From the fiscal year ending in 2002 back until 1980, only $9.97 million in retail construction permits were requested in the city limits. Of those, 1985 was the best year with about $2.1 million in permits.

Although dollar values have changed during the last two decades, the recent numbers still indicate a remarkable growth spurt. Current economic indicators for the city of El Campo show last fiscal year's retail growth may not be at an end.